Housing for battery terminal clamps



March 18, 1941. w K 2,235,062

HOUSING-FOR BATTERY TERMINAL CLAMPS FilQd July 29, 1940 INVENTOIL Mar. 18, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT j OFFICE 3 @laims.

. This invention relates to a housing for a battery terminal clamp, with reference particularly to the general type of storage battery employed on automobiles, airplanes, and in similar relationships, and has for its purpose to afford a housing that will entirely surround the clamp, so that a mass of grease can be placed around the terminal and clamp and maintained in suitable relationship by the surrounding housing to prevent corrosion.

In a more particular aspect, the invention comprises a housing including two separable and preferably telescoping sections, one of which is positionable around the terminal and rests upon the battery case, while the other section of the housing is positionable over the ilrst mentioned section after the clamp, has been positioned therein and attached to the terminal, the two sections of the housing being suitably secured together to hold the upper section in place.

Another object oi the invention is to afford a clamp of a construction that permits it to be used in connection with a housingsuch as relerred to. above and with a conventional type of battery, in which there is a limited space between the terminal and liquid opening can, the clamp being so designed as to fit within the bottom section of the housing when attached to the terminal while the upper section of the housing is thereafter superposed on the lower section.

A further purpose of the invention is to afford a novel construction of clamp in which the iastening devices are at the sides instead of at 1 one end, as in the conventional type or; clamp,

thus enabling the clamp to be conveniently positioned, together with the inner end walls of the housing, in the space between the terminal and the liquid opening cap.

Still another object of the invention is to aflord a. housing for the purposes mentioned that shall he of simple construction and economical to produce, and which lends itself readily to beino manufactured from plastic or other suitable 4L5 insulating material.

v To these and other ends, theinvention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts that will appear clearly from the following dc seription when read in conjunction with the soso companying drawing, the novel features heino pointed out in the claims following the specification.

in the drawing: his". 1 is a plan view of a conventional type of to battery, partially broken away, and showing the application thereto of a preferred embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional view 'on the line 2-4 of Fig. 1, partially in elevation;

Fig. 3 is a plan view, with the upper section of 5 the housing removed;

Fig. 4 is a view in end elevation, and

Fig. 5 is a view in elevation looking at the interior of the upper section of the housing.

Referring more particularly to the drawing in 10 which like reference numerals refer to the same parts throughout the several views, l designates the top of a case of a conventional battery, that includes a removable cap 2 for the liquid filling opening, while 3 is one of the usual battery ter- 15 minals to which a conductor t is connected by a clamp attached to the conductor and adapted to be removably secured to the terminal 3. The structure thus far described is old in the art, and the invention forming the subject matter of this 20 application has to do with the housing that encloses the clamp to hold a body of grease around the same and the form oi the clamp that permits such housing to be used and to be accommodated between the liquid opening can 2 and terminal 3. 2 The conventional type of clamp generally used includes a pair of separable clamping jawsv including oppositely arranged lugs and a bolt or other securing means positionable between the terminal 3 and the removable can t, at a point 30 opposite to the conductor t, but such a clamp cannot be used with a housing such as con templated. because there is insuflicient space between the terminal a and the cap 2 to accommodate the clamp fastening devices and the hous- 35 ing sections.

To overcome this, the clamp of the present invention is diflereritly constructed and includes a base 5 that receives the conductor t which is per-' manently secured to the base it in the usual man- 40 nor and a longitudinally extending side wall 6 that terminates in 'a circular-like collar 1 arranged to embrace the terminal 3. ll is a side wall opposite to the aforementioned wall, 5 and spaced therefrom, the side wall t lacing formed as integral with the collar i and spaced from the base it of the clamp by a slot ti, formed by cutting through the side wall it from itsouter edge to the inner edge thereof, the side Walls and t and the base i being cut away to ailord the censo tral opening it for a purpose that will appear presently.

Owing to the formation oi the slot t in the side wall 8, the latter is more or less yieldable toward the fixed wall a. and can be drawn toward the to latter by a suitable bolt l2 and clamping nut II, the said bolt extending through openings in the side walls 6 and 8 and operating when the nut ii is tightened to draw the movablewall 8 toward the fixed wall 6 and thereby tighten the collar I about the terminal 3. By arranging the circular-like collar at the end of the clamp, and locating the fastening devices at the central portion of the clamp, between the collar and the 10 base, the only portion of the clamp located between the terminal and the cap 2 is the inner end wall of the collar 1 which can be readily accommodated along with the housing to be described presently, between the terminal 3 and the cap 2.

In conventional use of clamps for battery terminals, it is common practice to apply a suitable grease around the terminal and clamp to prevent corrosion, but this is not entirely satisfactory due to the fact that there is no means for holding a suflicient amount of grease in contact with the parts to be protected, and in a short time it dries and ceases to function as a corrosion preventative.

To overcome this, the present invention includes an enclosing housing consisting of two sections telescoping one within the other, and operable to hold a substantial body of grease intimately in.

contact with the terminal and clamp and thus to prevent the grease from dropping away or drying in a short time.

To accomplish this, I employ a housing made from any plastic or other suitable insulating material and consisting of a bottom section. which includes a base i4 having in it an opening through which extends the terminal 3, while l5 designates an upstanding side wall around-the base Id. The base It and upstanding side wall i5 are of a contour that will surround the collar 1 of the clamp and the side walls thereof to the base 5, the upstanding wall i5 across the outer endof the clamp being recessed at iii to receive the end of the body of the clamp and abut the base 5 thereof as shown in Fig. 3. The upstanding wall i5 is preferably of a height somewhat less than that of the clamp, and it will be understood that in assembling the structure, the bottom section of the housing is first positioned on the top surface i of the battery case by positioning the opening in the bottom wall I4 over the terminal 3, as shown in Fig. 2. Thereupon, the conductor clamp is positioned over the terminal 3, resting upon the base I of the bottom section of the housing, and the nut II is tightened to secure the clamp to the terminal, after whichthe upper section of the housing, which will now be described, is positioned and secured in place.

The upper section of the housing comprises a top wall I! and a depending side wall l8, the upper section being of the same contour as the lower section, but sufliciently larger to permit the depending wall i8 to surround and occupy a position in juxtarelation to the aforementioned upstanding wail l5 of the bottom section. The upper section of the housing has an enlargement or 5 shoulder l9 formed interiorly at its inner end and shoulders 2| at the same elevation formed at its outer end, preferably at the corners, said shoulders l9 and 2| being arranged to engage the top of the upstanding wall l5 of the lower section of the housing and rest thereon, to limit the downward movement of the upper section while the depending wall is recessed at itsend at it to slip over and accommodate the base 5 of the clamp, occupying a position beyond and adjacent t the 78 end of the wall l5.

Suitable means are provided for holding the upper section of the housing in place, and to accomplish this, a threaded post 23 may be suitably secured to the lower section as by engaging a nut 24 embedded in the base ll, the post 23 extending 5 through an opening provided for the purpose in the top ll of the upper section, while 25 is a suitable knurled cap carried by the post 23 which thus holds the upper section of the housing in place upon the lower section. It will be under- 10 stood that before positioning and attaching the upper section, a suitable amount of grease can be applied within the lower section of the housing around the clamp and terminal and also above the clamp and terminal so that when the upper sec- 15 tion of the housing is placed in position, the interior of the; housing is substantially filled with grease, which is thus held in protective engagement with the terminal and clamping means for an indefinite time. 20

While the invention has been described with reference to the structural details herein disclosed, it is not confined to the particular embodiment set forth, and this application is intended to cover any modifications or departures coming' 25 within the intent of the improvements and th scope of the following claims.

1 I claim:

1. The combination with a battery terminal and the liquid opening cap of said battery to per- 80 mit filling the battery with water and located in relatively close proximity to said terminal, of a clamp including a base at its outer end and a circular-like collar at its inner end engaging said terminal, the inner end of the collar being positioned between said terminal and liquid opening cap and the clamp including opposite side walls located between said collar and said base spaced one from the other and connected to said collar, one of said side walls being 40 movable toward and from the other, fastening means extending through said side walls at a point between said collar and the outer end of the clamp, a housing consisting of a lower section having a bottom wall underlying said clamp and having an opening surrounding the terminal, and a vertical wall with a recess in its outer end embracing the outer end of the clamp, and an integral upper section having a top wall and a vertical wall that telescopes over the outer surface of and surrounds the upper portion of the vertical wall of the lower section, said housing being rectangular at its outer end and of circular formation at its inner end where it extends around the circular-like collar, said upper section havin a recess in its vertical wall at the outer end embracing the outer end of the clamp, and means for limiting the relative telescoping movement of the sections. m 2. The combination with a battery terminal and the liquid opening cap of said battery to per mit filling thebattery with water and located in relatively close proximity to said terminal, of a clamp including a base at its outer end and a a circular-like collar at its inner end engaging said terminal, the inner end of the collar being posi-i tioned between said terminal and liquid opening cap and the clamp including opposite side walls located between said collar and said base spaced one from the other and connected to said collar, one of said side walls being movable toward and from the other, fastening means extending I through said side walls at a point between said collar and the outer end of the clamp, a housing consisting of a lower section having a bottom wall hit ' iinttiti oi mention untiei'iyinu coin elem and having an openine tunneling the ter m t t one a verticci well with n recent in he outer end embracing the outer end oi the cietnn enti on integral upper section hovin n ton well nun n vertical that teletconee over the outer surface of end eurrounde the upper portion of the vertical well of the lower eection, thin hon heinn rectaer' nt its outei: one (1 oi circular formntion at its inner end Where it entenole nround the circulnr ltw collhi', nttiti ounce section moving a recent in its vertical wnii nt the outer enti embracing the outer end of the c110, meant for limiting the relntive etconu movement oi the sections, at t secured to tutti loureitection nnd enteneiinn vetticoiin thinunh nu opening in the ole nt at point he tneen nniti fneteningt inenne nnti the enter one oi the einrnn n entenninn on on i in t uttei v to men ti ten-teat in net ntivein eiote ntot Timid thi oi n cit-inn ineiuciinn hnee nt the enter emi n eit-cninr-e coiitu: nt itt innet enei thin tei'niinei, the tenet" end oi the cotton hein nonitionen hetween tniti tenni nun iinuiei onen con nnul the eintnn including unnotite title nniin ioenteti hetween t in cellar out onto. hone tiliinn the hntt end of the clamp. and! on integrni upper section one from the other one! connected to said collar, one oi said side while heint; movnble toward; and from the other, festenine means extending through onid sine weile nt n point between uniti collar and the outer enci of the elem p. n homing consisting of o. tower erection. bovine at bottom wall underlying enin cinmn ti hnvinn on open ing surrounding the teinei, mod n. vei'ticnl well with a recess in its outer end embracing the outer 10 having a top wall emi n verticni well thot teiescones over the outer eurince oi end surrounds the upper portion of the vertical wall of the lower section, snici housing he rectangular nt its out er end and or circulate formation at its inner end Where iteutencin own the eiteulnrdihe colier, eniti upper section hnvinnr n recess in he verticni nnii ut the outer end enihincinu the outer enci oi the clown, nnti inwnt'niy entenciinn eniemeneente on otite mitten oi ueieiteeete nnti nt ite innee enti thin ent nennentn the un te? eciee n? the tenet: nection I i A 3 inleueoninn tnotetnent oi the teetionn not secure ionee tectionnnti extent vetticn open in the cininn nt noint hetneen i'neteninn nneene nnci the outer enn oi the eie the inttet' in t ition. 

